Sacred Cows

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT SACRED COWS - PAGE 3

So you think chopping the fat from the Illinois state budget is a snap. Wanna try it? You can be Rep. Mary Lou Cowlishaw's guest Sunday when the Naperville Republican plays host to a program titled "Whose Cow Is It?" The video and game show pinpoints some of the many sacred cows within the state budget and gives participants their chance not only to gore those sacred cows, but also to balance the state's books. "People have a lot of fun with it, but they also learn a lot about what the state budget is all about," Cowlishaw said.

The Chicago Crime Commission, around for 75 years as a prodding voice against crime and official corruption, is observing its diamond anniversary in precarious shape. A personnel shakeup is threatened, the budget is in the red and the group's message has become muted. What's more, a woman wants to be the first of her sex to serve as its president and is challenging an Old Guard of mostly middle-aged male executives. The election drama is set against a background of internal bickering, fewer operating dollars and declining interest among many members.

By A new musical comedy draws laughter from anxiety over Israel's future, the Tribune's Stephen Franklin writes. Tribune staff reporter Stephen Franklin is on assignment in the Middle East | November 15, 2002

At home, Malki and Tziona walk hunched over because of Arab snipers. Whenever they straighten up, bullets crash through the windows. Desperate, they plead for help from the nation's leaders. But the leaders don't know what to do either, and so they go to the military chiefs. Out come the military chiefs, singing and dancing. "Missiles," they cheerfully sing, "we got missiles for everyone and everything." "But who will you hit with these missiles?" a curious government minister shyly asks.

If I had to invent a Shangri-La, I would lay it in a soft green valley at the foot of the Himalayas, set a bright sun to warm the women in their vermilion saris as they plucked yellow blossoms from the trees, and fill the air with singing, Buddhist temple horns and the tinkle of cow bells. If I had to find a modern Shangri-La, I would go to the Katmandu valley, and I would find my vision there, although like all human endeavors, this city harbors both the best and worst of the human condition.

The change of administrations in Washington gives Peter Fitzgerald a shot at one of the most important decisions he'll make in the U.S. Senate. Custom dictates that Fitzgerald, as the state's only Republican senator, gets to select three new U.S. attorneys for Illinois. That is a very big deal. The nation's U.S. attorneys are the Justice Department's lead prosecutors in 94 districts around the country. Working with the FBI, Secret Service, IRS and other federal agencies, U.S. attorneys and their staffs prosecute major cases in such key areas as public corruption, drug sales, firearms offenses, health fraud, tax evasion and organized crime.

"The spirit of the Lord will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom and insight." The prophet Isaiah likely was of royal blood. So it was fitting and proper that a reading from the prophet's 11th Chapter preceded Monday's installation of Todd Stroger as the 34th president of the Cook County Board. Stroger then delivered an inaugural address loaded with promises that taxpayers and citizens who use county services should hold dear: "[T]oday we are brought together by a shared goal--and for me, a solemn oath--to reshape our county government, and to have the courage and resolve to make bold changes.

A lesson in following one's dreams doesn't come with any clearer payoff than in Sam Greene's case. A longtime Phoenix real estate man with a few other brief stints on his resume -- everything from vice cop to herbal-supplement salesman -- his heart always belonged to show biz. After 20 years of unrequited efforts, writing scripts with no success in selling them, life shifted for the Arizona man with a lot of do-it-yourself moxie: This summer, he...

When Greg Hoffman was the partner of rookie cop Ron Huberman on Beat 2423 in Rogers Park in the mid-1990s, Huberman was the one with the crisp-looking uniform and always-polished shoes. When Hoffman ordered the hamburger for lunch, the fit and health-conscious Huberman asked for the chicken sandwich. And on the street? "We responded to calls for shootings and domestics and pretty stressful situations. But he always had a very calm, level-headed demeanor and was just very thorough," said Hoffman, now a sergeant.

With old Elvis Costello playing over the sound system, the crowd at KA-BOOM! circles the big oblong bar like a school of fish. "I'm sort of wearing out on the club thing," says a young guy in jeans. A slightly older "suit"-looking somewhat naked without a cellular phone-lets everyone within spitting distance in on his deal with Disney. While most of the women wear straight-from-the-office attire, one makes the scene in chunky platform shoes, black biker shorts, an ecru top and the tiniest rucksack imaginable, centered on her back like a jewel.

Chicago Police Supt. Terry Hillard has issued new guidelines for trimming overtime, hoping to clear up confusion that has frustrated investigators and led an armored car company recently to offer to pay to keep two detectives on the case of $800,000 in stolen cash. The new rules urge department bosses to be frugal in approving overtime, noting that the city, like much of the country, is in financial straits since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But in issuing the memo, department officials are acknowledging miscommunications about the new policy, including allegations that detectives have been sent home in the middle of big investigations.